Category Archives: Breakfast

One of my New Year’s resolutions, like I imagine most of my readers, was to lose weight — a resolution I believe I’ve made every year since 6th grade. And I’ve been trying hard to keep that resolution–at least it feels like I’ve been trying hard. I finally gave in and joined Weight Watchers for the hundredth time, except this time I promised myself that I’d try to stick to the program and not skip meetings. It’s slow going, but at least it’s going. If you’ve ever seen a WW ad featuring one of their success stories, you’ll notice a disclaimer at the bottom that says “results not typical.” Well, say hello to “typical.” My goal this year is to be “not typical.”

There are tons of WW “ambassadors” on Instagram, and they all joyously eat the rainbow, delight in ethereal baked goods made from egg whites and protein powder, and regard fat-free cheese, yogurt, and cool whip as a sort of holy trinity. Everything they eat (and I do mean EVERYTHING) is Instagram-worthy, or at least Instagrammed. But as I’ve learned over the years, this kind of eating tends to favor quantity over quality, is not sustainable in the real world, and is not for me. I’ve tried a few of the products — the plasticene Velveeta slices (only 1 point!), the snack bars that taste like they’re coated in candle drippings (only 2 points!), the fat-free plain yogurt with fruit (pucker up!), and the1-point tortilla wraps that are gummy from cellulose fiber (OK, I kinda like these) — and have decided to focus instead on making healthier choices, eating smaller portions, and tracking (the bedrock of the WW plan). And just to be clear, I will never ever accept Fat Free Cool Whip as “frosting” — that is just sadness.

So I expect that I’ll be posting some healthier recipes that fit in with what I’m trying to accomplish. If appropriate, I’ll add the WW smart points value. ‘Nuff said.

Avocado toast seems to be a particular favorite among not just WW devotees, but the world in general, although it seems that it is quickly being replaced by sweet potato toast (I know, not really a “toast” thing, and I can think of other ways to ruin my toaster besides running slices of sweet potato through it 4 or 5 times in a row). Long before avocado toast starting trending, however, my parents used to make it, mashing it on toast and declaring it was “just like buttah.”

l had a small piece of a precious black winter truffle left in my fridge. Jeanne, my “truffle pusher,” taught me that to enjoy truffles, they need a base of fat and salt. But copious amounts of fat is kind of a no-no at the moment — and then I thought of the avocado, which is “just like buttah.” And it worked — avocado toast with thin truffle shavings and a touch of flaky sea salt — that was one special breakfast! Winter truffle season is over, but I may revisit this when summer truffles are available. And for those of you without access to fresh truffles, I have confirmed that a teeny tiny drizzle of truffle oil is pretty delicious on avocado toast, as I suspect truffle salt would be as well (oh, the grueling research I conduct). No recipe, just photos. 🙂

Today I have an easy pumpkin spice recipe for you to break up your usual morning routine. Have you ever tried overnight oatmeal? It’s kinda fun — more so if you make it in a little mason jar — and a healthy way to start your day. The premise is simple — mix together oats and milk, add fruit and/or seasonings, and put it in the refrigerator overnight.

For this pumpkin spice version, adapted from here, I used almond milk and pumpkin puree, sweetened it with maple syrup, spiced it up with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and added a little candied ginger. Just before serving, I topped it with some chopped pecans.

Here’s what it looks like ready to go in the refrigerator overnight:

By morning, the oatmeal has softened and the flavors have melded together:

Add a few chopped pecans on top:

I really like this stuff. It’s chewy, cold, and creamy all at the same time, with an undeniable pumpkin pie-like taste. There are a lot of variations out there — one that I particularly like is made with mangoes and shredded coconut. If you haven’t already, give overnight oatmeal a try.